Commit to Christmas Season

CLAIRE ZIOLKOWSKI
SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC HERALD

We’ve all been there: the big lead up to Christmas Day. The joy of unwrapping gifts and dumping out stockings. The fancy dresses just for Mass. Inviting family over for a big dinner feast. The pilgrimage to other relatives’ homes. The full stomachs. The happy hearts.

And then it’s over, just like that.

Dec. 26 comes and all that remains of Christmas is a few errant scraps of wrapping paper and the annoyance of shedding pine needles.

But did you know the Christmas season in the Catholic Church lasts for over two weeks?

This year, the Christmas season will last from the Vigil Mass the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 24, until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, Jan. 11.

That’s 2 1/2 weeks!

What if this year, instead of checking off the Christmas box in one day, we spent the full 2 1/2 weeks celebrating with our family and diving into what the birth of Jesus really means for us?

Not sure how to do that? Here are some ideas:

  • Keep the tree up! Celebrating the full season of Christmas can be as simple as refusing to take down the decorations until the season is officially over. It’s hard. I get it. You only have so much time off of work. It is tempting to try to get things cleaned up before the new year kicks into full speed. But resist! Our spirits are highly influenced by our surroundings. So, if we want ourselves to spiritually and prayerfully engage in the full season of Christmas, that may mean keeping the tunes blaring and the decorations shining until Jan. 11 as a visual reminder of our ongoing celebration of Jesus’ birth into the world. And isn’t that a celebration worth extending?
  • Ask yourself and each member of your family every day to answer the question: “What difference does Jesus make in my life?” It might seem easy to answer, but you can’t give the same answer twice. By doing this, we force ourselves to really name the difference Jesus makes in our life. Because we can’t duplicate, we are forced to think longer and harder, digging deeper to the core of who he is to us. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about him most of the day by the end of the season.
  • Thirteen of the 17 days of Christmas this year celebrate specific feasts. Examples include saint memorials, the Feast of the Holy Family, and the Solemnities of Mary and the Epiphany. Take time each day to learn about who the Church is celebrating that day. Check out books from your local library that teach you more about those saints. Talk with your children — and pray on your own — about the kind of example they set for us and how you can emulate them yourself. If the saint appears in the Bible, consider reading a story about them from a children’s Bible with your kids and asking those same questions. Then ask the saint to pray for you and your family as you continue to learn about the gift of Christmas.
  • Keep your manger somewhere prominent in your home, maybe as the centerpiece to your dining table. Take time before dinner every night (or before bed if the manger is elsewhere in the home) thanking Jesus for becoming human and for being born. Sing a verse of your favorite Christmas hymn or bring the baby Jesus small “gifts” each day (such as pictures your kids colored or a pretty rock from your family rock collection) as a sign of your love and gratitude to him.

For adults and kids alike, any small act of love is a beautiful offering to the God who became human for our sake. The more we can draw our hearts and minds back to him throughout our day, the more we celebrate the gift of Christ the babe.

Claire Ziolkowski is associate director of adult formation for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. She keeps her Christmas tree up until it starts to wilt because celebrating Christ is always in season.